Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

Drove to AZ with hubby and 2 good friends (IM virgins), perfect road trip. We stayed in a a 2/2 condo about 1.5 mile from the race expo, turned out it was right on the run course. Very tempting on the third loop!!

Did our little mini-tri on Saturday morning - Official warm-up in the lake (DAMN, that water was COLD), 15 miles on the bike, 10 minute run. On the ride, I discovered that I had a wobble in my race wheels. Took it to the the guys in the Specialized truck, they took it apart, got rid of the wobble, good to go! The also let me drool on Jordan Rapp's bike while I waited. Cool. got to meet the guy, and tell him what a fan I am. Cooler, yet! Bummed that he didn't have a good race day.

Rode back down in the PM to drop off bikes and T bags - wow. Getting real! Wandered around a bit to get the feel for the course. With 3 loops of both the bike and run, it gets a bit complicated at the center. It was good to get oriented, but I'm sure the markings and people will help on race day! anoterh walk back to the condo. This 1.5 miles is seeming longer and longer!!

Went out for Sushi, watched a movie, picked up ice for the post-race, and went home to put the legs up.

Event warmup:

alarms went off all over the condo....anywhere from 4:11(me) 4:13 (me, again) through 4:20 (Jeff, finally!) Had my breakfast of pepsi and a nutrigrain bar(moving on up from the poptarts), loaded up the special needs bags, and made good on my threat to be out the door by 5:15, even if I had to go solo.

HEY! Everyone made out the door with me! LONG 1.5 mile walk down to the start.

Little confusion as to where to drop the SN bags, and very long porta-potty lines didn't leave us with much time to spare. Body marking, sunscreening (in the dark!), and then moving like cattle toward the lake. Got a quick kiss and a hug, and then we were on the dock! Everyone's yelling 'GO, GO, GO - less than one minute to the gun!!' This may be the first time I have ever just jumped off a dock into a lake! EEEEEKKKK.........

Swim

1h 28m 35s

4200 yards

02m 07s / 100 yards

Comments:

So, I trained pretty hard for this, and I had high hopes! After the freezing plunge into the lake, I started swimming hard to the bridges. I knew I was pretty far back from the starting line, and wasn't in a good position. Came up to site, and everyone was moving - what?!? Did I miss the start?!? Head down, start swimming. Another site attempt, and BOOM - there's the cannon! Not quite sure what happened here?!?!

Had pretty good luck finding clear water - lots of people, but not a super mosh pit. Made it all the way to the first turn without seeing the yellow buoys...think I'm swimming a bit ziggy! Good turn, and then I heard something different - someone calling for help. Stopped in the water, along with 6-8 other, and saw a man panicking. Flailing around, yelling. I started hollering for help along with the others...we didn't want to get too close, the guy could've taken anyone down. Stayed until the kayakers got close, and then took back off. Hope he was okay, never heard anything more about it.

Swim back in seemed longer. It was, because we swam past the start dock 200 yards, then had to turn and swim in. Felt like they were moving the finish!

Made it to the stairs, and 2 really strong people grabbed my arms and pulled me out - wow! Love the service! Feet and hands were numb....made it over to the strippers, and they ripped that orca off. Nice! Stumble over to the women's tent, after a longing glance at the warming tent. In hindsight, it may have saved me some time!

What would you do differently?:

It felt good, albeit very cold. I thought I was faster, so I guess I just need to work harder! 3 minutes faster than CdA, not as quick as Moo.

Transition 1

11m 19s

Comments:

long run from strippers to tent, and I ws NUMB. Spent first few minutes just SHAKING. Nothing was moving voluntarily, but the shivers were unreal. Volunteer got my armwarmers on, bless her. I had a brain freeze and could not figure out how to get my socks on. I kept telling the volunteer that I had 2 left socks. I had them all rolled and ready to slip on...but I unrolled them both to figure this out. DUH. I thought I was cold.....but I wasn't, not really, not until I was on the bike....

What would you do differently?:

Practice the socks?!? different jersey with bigger pockets?

Bike

6h 35m 20s

112 miles

17.00 mile/hr

Comments:

Wet clothes and hair....cold weather and wind. I was shaking and tense - freezing for the first 2 hours. Wishing I had thrown on my jacket. Not many of us out there in sleeveless jerseys. My plan had me not pushing too hard for the first loop - not starting the race until mile 40. I made 2 potty stops (despite liberal peeing in the lake!). I was a bit bummed that I wasn't faster on the first loop (16.74) but I reminded my self that this was the plan. I killed my first SE bottle (9 scoops) in the first 60 miles.

Wow. The the second loop hit - brutal. The wind was changing, somehow. Bit of a headwind climbing out of town, and then a BRUTAL headwind for the ride down. should have been the fastest part, but we were having to crank downhill in the wind. Owee. Partway through this lap we hit SN. Gret volunteers had my bag waiting for me. Swapped out my SE bottle, shoved my mints into my pocket and took off! Less than a minute, I bet!

Hit the turnaround in town, ready to start the 3rd lap. Head not in a great place, really bummed with my time. Decided that it was go time, and started pushing it. Wind was better going out, and I hit a steady pace on the climb. Rode in sight of Cass for a while, that helped a lot. Hit the last turnaround, and winds weren't as bad as lap 2 - went for it!! Last lap was 18mph - woohoo!!!

What would you do differently?:

warmer clothes to start - the cold was debilitating. finish my 2d SE bottle - that would come back to haunt me. wish I could be a marshall and yank the cheaters off the course!!

Transition 2

08m 4s

Comments:

Was really shaky, no clue as to why. Race number belt broke on way out, and volunteer had already taken my bag with the spare. Another girl just tied my belt in a knot. I then tried to shove the rest of my food into my too-small pockets. Revisit the new jersey idea. or, better yet, simplify my food plan!

Used the inhaler!

Run

4h 55m 9s

26.2 miles

11m 16s min/mile

Comments:

Despite my time, the run felt pretty good. However, I repeated my CdA decision and dumped my SE bottle at mile 2. Too heavy to carry, and didn't taste good! I drank water at most aid stations, ate a couple of gel packs. Took a bit of pepsi (HEAVEN!) and chicken soup near the end. Ran into Jeff near the end of my first loop, ran with him (2d loop) for a bit. I sped up, then he passed me! Caught him again 3 miles later, and kept him in sight for the rest of my 2d lap. Saw him turn off to finish - yea! It was getting dark - I missed the 'glo-stick cutoff' which was good, but had to run with out my shades - blindness, not so good!

I really liked the 3 loop course for the run - lots of crowd support, and it helped mitigate my blindness!

What would you do differently?:

Well, looks like I need to work on my nutrition. Mentally, it felt pretty good - didn't walk much other than the aid stations. okay, maybe a few hills. and the rocky stretch - all three times. Okay, run more. ;-)

Post race

Warm down:

Cross the finish line, taking care to cross solo - and then faint on the catchers. Saves walking! 2 guys 'caught' me, and carried me to the medical tent. I do remember that they lead with my feet, and as they were heading into the tent my feet hit someone - sorry! Tent was full, so they had me on the ground with my feet up on a chair. Took my BP and pulse a couple of times, and carried me back to a bed. 2 IVs and a weigh-in later, they sent me on my way. The med people were GREAT!

Bummed that I missed getting a picture & a massage & athlete food, but jazzed that they saved me a shirt and hat.

Walked out bikes and gear to the corner where Don picked us up. Really missed the TriBikeTransport people at this time!!

HAD A BLAST. Missed my secret goal of 12:59:59....but still had a 53 minute PR - I'll take it!!!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Probably nutrition and hydration. And an underlying kidney infection, maybe.

Event comments:

Loved it. May be back!!!!

Profile Album

Last updated: 2010-11-28 12:00 AM

Swimming

01:28:35
|
4200 yards |
02m 07s / 100yards

Age Group:

40/119

Overall:

1714/2800

Performance:

Average

Suit:

full

Course:

1 loop in Tempe Town Lake

Start type:

Deep Water

Plus:

Shot

Water temp:

60F / 16C

Current:

Low

200M Perf.

Good

Remainder:

Good

Breathing:

Good

Drafting:

Bad

Waves:

Average

Navigation:

Below average

Rounding:

Average

T1

Time:

11:19

Performance:

Bad

Cap removal:

Good

Helmet on/
Suit off:

Wetsuit stuck?

Run with bike:

Jump on bike:

Getting up to speed:

Biking

06:35:20
|
112 miles |
17.00 mile/hr

Age Group:

0/119

Overall:

0/2800

Performance:

Good

Wind:

Course:

3 loops, about 37 miles each. Mostly smooth roads, with a few exceptions. Unbelievable winds, especially on second loop. Cross winds on some parts. 3 loops made it crowded, and there were lots of riders not playing fair....drafting, riding side by side, etc.

Road:

Smooth Dry

Cadence:

Turns:

Cornering:

Gear changes:

Hills:

Race pace:

Drinks:

T2

Time:

08:04

Overall:

Below average

Riding w/ feet on shoes

Jumping off bike

Running with bike

Racking bike

Shoe and helmet removal

Running

04:55:09
|
26.2 miles |
11m 16s min/mile

Age Group:

28/119

Overall:

1419/2800

Performance:

Average

Course:

3 loops, pretty flat, with one good hill (Curry) on each. Got DARK at the end!